"This is hysterical. They've certainly given it a loose back end, as they say in reviewing circles. Often, with an engine of that smallness, you don't have the power to hold a slide, but you can in this. Normally you run out of ability before you run out of power, but this slides forever... It's brilliantly good fun."

Gary Blackham of GPRM, who prepared the car, pronounced himself delighted with the car's placing of eighth overall and third in class. "Considering the differential in horsepower between our car and the others, it's a great result. I think the only work we had to do was add about half a litre of oil during the whole race."

The new Renaultsport Clio 200, the performance version of the new Clio 4 thatís been revealed at the Paris motor show, will be exclusively available with a 1.6-litre turbocharged engine and a six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, spelling the end for the famed Renaultsport Clio hallmarks of high-revving normally aspirated engines mated to manual gearboxes.

This switch, claims Renaultsportís managing director Patrice Ratti, will take the carís ďsporting driving experience to the next levelĒ.

The new 1.6 turbo engine produces 197bhp at 6000rpm. The outgoing RS Clioís normally aspirated 2.0 unit produced the same power, but at 7200rpm.

Torque is increased by 19lb ft to 177lb ft over the outgoing carís 158lb ft. But whereas the 2.0 engineís peak torque arrived at 5400rpm, the turbocharger in the new carís 1.6 allows peak torque to be available from just 1750rpm and remain constant until 5600rpm.

The Renaultpsort-developed dual-clutch transmission Ė named ĎEDCí (Efficient Dual Clutch) Ė can be left to its own devices or manually controlled using steering wheel mounted shifters. It can make gearshifts in just 150 milliseconds in Race mode, but will still be comfortable and user friendly for everyday use, according to Renault.

"Iím giving it five stars only because itís not possible to hand out more."

Quote:

In the olden days, when people had diphtheria and children were covered in soot, cars had skinny little tyres so that enthusiastic drivers could have fun making them slither about on roundabouts.

Nowadays, though, itís all about grip. Fast Fords are fitted with front differentials to ensure you can keep a tight line, even when you are doing 1,000mph through a mountain hairpin. Then you have the Nissan GT-R, which uses the computing power of a stock exchange to make the same mountain hairpin doable at the speed of sound.

In fact, all modern cars cling to the road like a frightened toddler clings onto its motherís hand. In some ways this is no bad thing. It means the befuddled and the weak are less likely to spin off and hit a tree. And it means the helmsmen among us can post faster lap times on track days.

But is that what you want? Really? Because when the grip does run out, you will be travelling at such a rate that you will have neither the talent nor the time to get everything back in order before you slam into a telegraph pole. If you are trying to win a race, high cornering speeds are important. But if you are not, theyíre frightening.

For the business of going fast, a Nissan GT-R is unbeatable. But for fun ó and I am not exaggerating here ó you would be better off in a Morris Minor on cross-plies.

Which brings me neatly to the door of this weekís test car. Itís called the Toyota GT86 and itís been built in a collaboration with Subaru, which is selling an almost identical machine called the BRZ. Unlike most coupťs, such as the Ford Capri, Volkswagen Scirocco and Vauxhall Calibra, the GT86 is not a hatchback in a party frock. It is not a marketing exercise designed to relieve the style-conscious of their surplus cash. It isnít even very good-looking. Or practical. The boot is large enough for things, but you can forget about putting anyone in the back, even children. Unless theyíve no legs or heads.

Power? Well, it has a 2-litre boxer engine ó Subaruís contribution ó which delivers 197 brake horsepower. Thatís not very much. But because the car weighs just 1,275kg and the engine is so revvy, youíll hit 62mph in 7.6 seconds and a top speed of 140mph. It could almost be mistaken for a hot hatch.

But thereís no mistaking the noise. This car is loud, and not in a particularly nice way. Thereís no crisp exhaust note, no induction wheezing. Itís just the sound of petrol exploding in a metal box.

The interior is nothing to write home about, either. You get what you need by way of equipment ó air-conditioning, stereo, cupholders and so on ó but thereís no sense of style or beauty. Apart from a bit of red stitching here and there, it all feels utilitarian, the product of a bean counterís lowest-bidder wet dream. So, there is nothing about this car, either on paper or in the showroom, that is going to tickle the tickly bits of Clint Thrust, the lantern-jawed hero from the planet Oversteer. And yet there is, because, unlike most cars of its type, the GT86 is rear-wheel drive. Rear drive in a car is like a roux in cooking. Yes, you can use cheapíníeasy cornflour front-wheel drive, but if you want the best results you have to go the extra mile. You have to fit a prop shaft. And a differential.

In a rear-drive car the front wheels are left to get on with the job of steering while those at the back handle the business of propulsion. Itís expensive to make a car this way, and complicated, but the end result will be better, more balanced.

And now we get to the nub of Toyotaís genius. The company fitted the GT86 with the same skinny little tyres it uses on the Prius. And what this means is that there is very little grip. You turn into a corner at what by modern standards is a pedestrian speed, and immediately you feel the tail start to slide.

So you let it go a little bit, and when the angle is just so, you find a throttle position that keeps it there. For ever. You are power-sliding, you are grinning like an ape and you are doing about 13mph. Which means that if you do make a mess of it and youíre heading for a tree, you can open the door and get out.

You wonít make a mess of it, though, because the steering is perfectly weighted and full of juicy feel. I promise. The GT86 will unlock a talent you didnít know you had. It will unleash your hero gene and you will never want to drive any other sort of car ever again.

No, really. Put some cotton wool in your ears, snick the old-feeling snick-snick box down into second, stand hard on the astoundingly good brakes, wish youíd used more cotton wool as the boxer engine roars, turn the wheel, feel the back start to go and itís like being back in the time of the Mk 1 Ford Escort.

Iím sure that at this point many non-enthusiasts are wondering whether Iíve taken leave of my senses. Why, they will ask, would anyone want a noisy, impractical car that wonít go round corners properly? Simple answer: if youíre asking the question, the GT86 is not for you.

I suppose I could raise a safety question. Because, while its antics are a massive giggle on a track, I do wonder what will happen when itís raining and your head is full of other things and you try to go round a roundabout at 25mph. Thereís a time and a place for oversteer and Iím not sure 5.30pm in suburbia is it. Best in these circumstances, then, to turn the traction control on.

Thereís another issue, too. Iím willing to bet that some people will decide that the styling of the GT86 could be improved by fitting larger wheels and fatter tyres. Do not do this. Because while it may make the car more meaty to behold, it will ruin the recipe as surely as you would ruin a plate of cauliflower cheese by vomiting on it.

Frankly, I wouldnít change a thing about the GT86. Because itís so bland, it doesnít attract too much attention. You can therefore have fun without being marked out by passers-by as an anorak.

And now we get to the clincher. The GT86 costs less than £25,000 with manual transmission. That makes it cheaper than a Vauxhall Astra VXR. It makes it a Tiffany diamond for the price of a fairground lucky-dip prize.

Itís strange. We thought purpose-designed coupťs had gone. We thought wayward handling had gone. And we sure as hell thought genuinely good value had gone. But all three things are now back in one astonishing car. Perhaps the most interesting car to be launched since the original Mazda MX-5. Iím giving it five stars only because itís not possible to hand out more.

The legendary Toyota reliability is being put to test by the Toyobaru...

Some owners are complaining about rough idling and stalling engine problems. Repairs could include a combination of the following: replacing cam sprocket assemblies, replacing oil control valves, reflashing and/or replacing the engine control unit (ECU). These solutions have not been consistent and may require multiple repairs or even vehicle replacement due to limited success.

Toyota and Subaru did not release any official report of how many cars are affected but it seems a few hundred are suffering from the problem so far.

Sometimes you love sticky tires like on a trackday for a fast lap or normal street drive. But sometimes you wanna play with the balance of the car. Big 19 inch wide tires and play with the balance you need at least a race track or a top gear test track with wide sticky tires.

Or

You can go smaller.

I drive my 1M mostly with 8x18 inch wheels with 235/40 tires alround. It s for playing around with the balance of the car and have fun on relative normal speeds.

I have also have owned a 997 gen2 GT3 nice car but for the road to much grip to have fun driving on the balance of the car. I sold it because of it. You need a race track in youre backyard to enjoy such car.

This is off course for everyone different. I like to drive the car on under and oversteer. But it is not everyone s cup of tea. Some people just love very sticky tires and enjoy the high grip.

Once again, you can see what a 8x18 inch wheels with the thinner 235/40 tires all round can do for the 1M balance ON THE STREET:

Before I have purchased the sticky P-Zero's, which I also find very progressive on the limit once they let go, I couldn't find a good condition set of used BMW's M270 18'' rims that you see in the above vid (new, they cost around 2400€). Otherwise, I would have bought it instead, no doubt!

If Subaru puts out a STI version of their BRZ ( with power to match, nothing less than 300hp/300tq), i will legitimately sell the 335i for it. Sexy body, low weight, combined with a sexy engine? Yes please.

Based on how many turbocharged boxer engines Subaru currently uses in its cars, solid news of a force-fed BRZ was only a matter of time. So it comes as little surprise that Automotive News is reporting that Subaru is currently developing a turbocharged version of the 2.0-liter engine currently found under the hood of the much-loved but somewhat underpowered 2013 BRZ.

AN's unnamed sources indicate that this engine will use a twin-scroll turbocharger and a new direct-injection system that will help give the engine an estimated 280 horsepower and torque that could be in excess of 250 pound-feet... still being sent to the rear wheels. The turbo'd BRZ will reportedly be making its debut for the 2014 model year, but it isn't clear if Subaru will simply call the car a BRZ Turbo or if it will finally deliver the BRZ STI that many enthusiasts have been clamoring for since the BRZ STI Concept hit the scene in 2011.